ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. LIENZ, Austria – Marlies Schild was sixth after the opening run but took the lead in the second showcasing some outstanding skiing. She then watched her rivals fail to match her time. Schild finished in a combined time of 1:55.63, with Mikaela Schiffrin, who led after the first run, ending in second place, 0.41 seconds behind. Maria Höfl-Riesch settled for third, 0.63 seconds off the pace.

Schild equaled Vreni Schneider's record of 34 World Cup slalom victories in the last slalom race in Courchevel. With her 35th victories today, she is now the lone holder of the record. Schild also is the second woman in World Cup history to win 35 or more races in one discipline after Austria's Annemarie Moser-Pröll, who won 36 World Cup downhill races.

"It is just amazing", she said. "I didn't really expect it after my first run that was far from perfect. Even after crossing the finish line in the second run, my feeling wasn't that good. I thought that was not going to be enough for the win. The upper part didn't work out the way I wanted but I pushed in the lower section and it paid off. Tying the record in Courchevel took some pressure off. But I was still very nervous today. It is always special to race at home. I can't say more that I am extremely happy right now. "

Shiffrin landed her second podium this weekend in Lienz after placing third in giant slalom. 

“Two podiums in two days was really exciting for me”, said the 18-year-old. “I'm having a lot of fun skiing slalom and giant slalom. Both days were good. Lienz is a great stop for me. I made my first podium here two years ago. The crowd is crazy here, the atmophpere is very special."

"I know my best skiing is enough for a podium. I am going to work harder now and try to win the next race. But having Marlies next to me on the podium is great. 

After the disappointment in Courchevel where she straddled in the first run, Höfl-Riesch climbed onto a slalom podium for the second time this season.

"I am very satisfied with the result today", she commented. "Overall, I am also happy about my season so far, even if there are a few ups and downs. If I can avoid making mistakes and get some more consistency, then it would be even better. I'm looking forward to the next races and hopefully will get good results before going to the Olympics, the big goal of the winter."

In the slalom standings, Shiffrin keeps the lead with 202 points with Schild just 2 points behind. Höfl-Riesch's third place today enabled her to overtake Tina Weirather in the overall standings. However the German champion sits only two points clear at the top of the table.

The next stop is Bormio for another slalom race, which was rescheduled from Zagreb (CRO) due to warm weather conditions there.

FISalpine.com
29 December 2013 15:04

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